Begin and Today’s Politics

I recently read Daniel Gordis’s biography, Menachem Begin: The Battle for Israel’s Soul, and was struck by how much contemporary Israeli politics desperately needs a few traits of this impressive person.

1)      Avoiding Civil War: Infighting doomed the Second Temple Jewish community in their conflict with the Romans and may have played a role in inspiring Hamas’ October attack. We certainly would have lost the 1948 War of Independence if we had been fighting with each other. More than anyone else, Begin prevented such internal combat. When the Haganah helped the British arrest Etzel members, he instructed his people not to respond. When Haganah fighters shot at the Altalena, he directed his forces not to fire back. Today’s right and left should consider how Begin’s restraint enabled our Jewish state’s existence.

2)      Being More Complex than Stereotypes: We might assume that a right wing Israeli politician will care only about parochial and not universal concerns. Furthermore, we often associate the desire for peace treaties with the left. Yet Begin made the peace agreement with Egypt that has stood up for almost half a century now. His first official act as prime minister in June 1977 was to take in 66 Vietnamese refuges who were in mortal danger. In the following quote, he expressed remarkable understanding and sympathy for Israeli Arabs.

Some say that it is impossible for us to provide full equal rights to Arab citizens of the state because they do not fulfill equal obligations. But this is a strange claim. True, we decided not to obligate Arab residents, as distinguished from the Druze, to perform military service. But we decided this of our own free will and I believe the moral reason for it is valid. Should war break out, we would not want one Arab citizen to face the harsh human test that our own people had experienced for generations….We believe that in the Jewish state, there must be and will be equal rights for all its citizens, irrespective of religion, nation or origin. (Gordis, 115)

One cannot imagine Smotrich or Rothman saying this.

3)      Taking Responsibility: Though his account of what happened differed from others, Begin apologized for the women and children harmed in Deir Yassin. After Sabra and Shatila, Begin could have placed all the blame on Ariel Sharon but he said that those in power share responsibility for what happens under their watch. Admittedly, Begin did not fully appreciate the moral problem with Israel’s behavior but he did not place the onus on others. A far cry from today’s Knesset members.

Begin was certainly not perfect but he amazingly waited in the opposition for some three decades before becoming prime minister. Emulating his three qualities enumerated above would make for a far better, wiser, and stronger Israel.